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Admissions Information

Information about Admission

to the University of Freiburg degree programmes in English and American Studies, Bachelor of Arts (major and minor) and in English State Examinations for a Teaching Qualification in Secondary Education (major and minor)

1. Degree Programmes

(a) Teaching Degree: English State Examinations for a Teaching Qualification in Secondary Education

(1) The University of Freiburg requires all applicants to take part in an assessment process in compliance with the regulations for this degree programme. Only 100 applicants are admitted; admission will be granted according to the applicant's eligibility and qualifications.

(2) If there are more qualified applicants than available admissions places, applicants will be selected according to the regulations set forth by the (HVVO) in its version at the appropriate time.

(3) If there are fewer qualified applicants than the allotted 100 admissions places, the aforementioned selection process does not apply.

(b) Degree: Bachelor of Arts (English as a major or minor); English State Examinations for a Teaching Qualification in Secondary Education (as a minor)

The University of Freiburg requires all applicants (for a Bachelor of Arts in English and American Studies; or for State Examinations) to take part in an assessment process in compliance with the regulations for this degree programme. Only 100 applicants are admitted; admission will be granted according to the applicant's eligibility and qualifications.

2. Deadlines

Admissions for the prospective students to the above mentioned degree programmes is possible in winter semester und summer semester or only in winter semester (depending upon the programme of study). The request to participate in the assessment process is to be submitted to the University of Freiburg by 15 July (winter semester) or 15 January (summer semester). This request is simultaneously considered an application for admission for the chosen programme of study. Those who do not submit the request before the above mentioned deadlines will not be able to participate in the assessment process. The scheduled test dates are listed under #7.

3. The Application Form

(1) All applications are to be filled out, using the forms provided by the University of Freiburg.

b) a written and signed statement declaring whether the applicant is able to participate in the assessment process at an earlier date.

(3) The University of Freiburg may require accepted applicants to present original documents upon registration.

4. Admission Committee

(1) An application committee determines which applicants are most qualified for a course of study in English.

(2) The admission committee consists of two members of the English Department's academic staff, of which at least one is a university professor. Term of office lasts two years. Committee members may be reappointed.

(3) Once the applications have been reviewed, the committee will compile a list of the most academically qualified applicants and inform the Board of Faculty (School of Philology) of its decision.

5. Assessment Process

(1) Only participants who meet the following prerequisites may take part in the assessment process:

a) submitted all required application material prior to the deadline,

b) has not previously participated in the University of Freiburg English Department assessment process more than once.

(2) The admissions committee determines the ranking of the best qualified students according to the criteria listed in #6.

(3) The University of Freiburg Administrative Board is ultimately responsible for admitting applicants and bases its decision on the recommendations of the English Department admissions committee.

(4) Applications for participation in the assessment process are rejected in the following cases:

a) the submitted application materials were incomplete or did not arrive prior to the deadline

and/or

b) the applicant has previously participated in the assessment process.

(5) Applications for admission to the University of Freiburg are rejected if:

a) any of the reasons stated in section 4 apply, or

b) the candidate does not meet the prerequisites outlined in section 8.

(6) Regarding all other matters, the University of Freiburg admissions regulations continue to apply.

When applying, please note that the proper completion and submission of the application before the official deadline will not suffice. In addition, applicants must complete the registration form for the English Department Language Proficiency Exam within the designated time frame in order to be considered as a candidate for the selected degree programme. For more information about the registration procedure for the language proficiency exam, please click on the following link: http://www.anglistik.uni-freiburg.de/prospstudents/admissions/index_html_en?set_language=en

6. Qualifications

The applicant’s degree of qualification will be determined according to the following criteria:

1. Secondary school performance in the following subjects:

a) German

b) up to two foreign languages; in the case the applicant was enrolled in several language courses, the following applies:

If the applicant was enrolled in English, then his/her performance in this language will be taken into consideration in the overall evaluation. Of the other foreign language courses attended, the performance in language course in which the applicant was enrolled the longest (maximum of four and a half years) will be evaluated. In the case that two language classes were attended for the same length of time, the language for which the applicant received the highest mark will be evaluated.

If the applicant was not enrolled in English, then the two foreign languages which were taken for the longest period of time will be taken into consideration in the evaluation. Likewise, if several language courses were attended, those languages for which the applicant received the highest marks will be evaluated.

c) a subject in the social sciences or history (social studies, politics, geography, etc.); as above, the type of courses in which the applicant was enrolled the longest will be taken into consideration in the overall evaluation. If two such subjects were taken for the same length of time, that for which the applicant received the highest mark will be evaluated.

2. Entrance examination for a degree in English or a related major as described in section #7.

7. Test

(1) All candidates are required to sit a written exam (multiple choice, fill in the blank, etc) in order to assess the applicants’ academic potential, skills and motivation for the selected course of study. Knowledge assessed in the German Abitur or other exams such as university entrance exams will not be tested here.

(2) The test is normally held in July (for enrolment in winter semester). The exact dates and location of the exam will be posted by the University at the appropriate time. The applicants must register for this exam. Details regarding deadlines and important dates will be posted on the English Department website.

(3) Applicants will be given 60 minutes to complete. The maximum number of points that can be obtained is 60 (for information on the scoring of the exam, see section 8, paragraph 1, number 2).

(4) If the applicant is able to produce an official medical certificate stating that the s/he is unable to sit the exam due to a long-term medical condition or permanent physical handicap, the admissions committee must offer the applicant the opportunity to sit the exam within an extended period of time or to provide evidence of equivalent achievement/performance in another form.

(5) If the applicant chooses not to complete the exam after it has already begun, s/he will receive a score of 0.

(6) If the applicant attempts to influence the results of the exam via deception or the non-permitted use of additional materials, the applicant will receive a score of 0. An applicant who disrupts the normal proceedings of the exam may be escorted from the exam by one of the proctors; in such a case, the applicant will receive a score of 0.

(7) Applicants who have passed the TOEFL test (Test of English as a Foreign Language) may be exempt from this requirement provided that the results of the TOEFL test are not older than one year. In cases of doubt, the admissions committee is to decide the matter. More details will be posted on the English Department website at the appropraite time.

8. Evaluation of Application

(1) The applicant’s qualifications, as described in section #6, are evaluated according to a point system.

1. Evaluation of secondary school performance:

a) Marks earned during the last phase of secondary school (Oberstufe) will be weighted as follows:

i) German and up to two foreign languages 80%

ii) social sciences/history 20%

For each of the subjects taken during the latter years of the applicant’s secondary education (Oberstufe):

a) a certain number of points (a maximum of 15) will be allocated depending on whether the applicant was enrolled in the subject for all four semesters or whether the mark earned in the particular subject factored into the overall marks. For each subject or subject area, the total number of points shall be divided by the number of semesters during which a course or a set of courses were attended (maximum of 4). The resulting number is calculated to the nearest tenth. The number of points in each of the subjects/subject areas shall be weighted as specified above. The resulting number is multiplied by 4 (a maximum of 60 points) and calculated to the nearest tenth.

b) Marks obtained at educational institutes outside of Germany will be converted into the German equivalents according to the guidelines prescribed by the KMK. If German is not the official language of the country of origin, the official language of the applicant’s country will be evaluated in the place of German; in this case, German as a Foreign Language may also be taken into consideration in the evaluation.

2. Assessment of the language proficiency exam:

a) If the candidate receives a score of less than 36 points, s/he will not be considered in the admissions process.

b) The total number of points earned on the language proficiency exam shall be divided by two. The resulting number (maximum 30) is then calculated to the nearest tenth.

c) If the candidate has sat the TOEFL, the results will then be calculated according to the score earned on this exam.

More details will be posted on the English Department web page.

(2) The total number of points allocated based on the applicant’s academic record and language proficiency exam score will be added together (a maximum of 90 points is possible). Only those applicants who score above 60 points can be considered for admission to one of the University of Freiburg’s English Department programmes.

9. Reapplying

Candidates who were unsuccessful in their first attempt may re-apply to take part in the assessment process once more.